The Modern Scholar: Evolutionary Biology, Part 1

Darwinian Revolutions

By: Prof. Allen D. MacNeill

Narrated by: Allen D. MacNeill

With Evolutionary Psychology I and II, Allen D. MacNeill of Cornell University led a thought-provoking series of lectures on why people do the things they do. In Evolutionary Biology I, MacNeill addresses a different side of the coin by examining the biological component, from Charles Darwin’s and Gregor Mendel’s “dangerous ideas” to contemporary thought leaders and the forming of the modern synthesis of this vital field of study.

Download the accompanying reference guide.©2011 Allen D. MacNeill (P)2011 Recorded Books, LLC

The Mistake So Many Speakers and Narrators Make

Professor MacNeill has provided a competent course on the basics of Darwinian Evolution and the history of Charles Darwin and his work. Unfortunately, he makes the mistake so many audiobook narrators make of reading quotes in what he imagines to be the author's native accent.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say something to anyone considering a career in narration or voice-over. If you are someone who is good at performing "foreign accents", I have news for you. No, you're not. You don't sound like the person you're quoting. You sound like a non-native speaker doing a bad impression of what you imagine the person sounded like. In other words, just like what you are. Your bad fake accent doesn't add any clarity. It doesn't make what you're saying "come alive" or any such nonsense. It doesn't help. At all. It just grates on the ears of your listeners. Don't do it. Use your normal speaking voice and everything will come through just fine.

Interesting content, unfortunate delivery.

The information in this lecture was interesting and well organized but the lecturer delivered every quoted passage- and there were a lot of them- in cringingly bad accents which was, to say the least, distracting.

Attention grabbing

Any additional comments?

There is interesting information in this audio about this great science. However, you might laugh as this scientist denies free will, and argues philosophical questions on a one-sided manner. Good intro though.

History and Concepts Woven Together

This is a thorough history of the major players and concepts in the development of evolutionary biology , from pre-Darwinian creationist natural history to the Modern Synthesis that combined Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection with Mendelian genetics. In the last lecture, it previews Part 2: everything that has been discovered in evolutionary biology since 1959 (the centennial celebration of Darwin's theories that marked the widespread acceptance of the Modern Synthesis). I can't wait!

No Part 2 Audible available ?

This is an interesting and clear book, if a little slow.

It bothered me a little that fully the first 4-5 chapters are so basic and often seem to be covering intelligent design as much as they cover evolution.

You have to get 6 chapters into the book before it even starts to talk about evolution and Darwin, but it does explain well.

Aside from too much emphasis on creationism, even if it is as a negative, or inserted to make the creationists feel better, it does correctly criticism creationism as not scientific.

But I did enjoy that the book goes back into history to the ancient Greeks and shows that there were very advanced ideas back then beginning with the Ionians and their ideas of science. One wonders where we would all be today if these ideas had taken hold and had thousands of years to grow rather than religion and all the wars we have had.

The existence of a Part 1 implies that there is a part 2, but I do not see it in Audible.com.

While I enjoy and have bought many good non-fiction books at Audible, there is a real shortage of good scientific or educational books such as this one that I would love to see corrected. Another book called the "Making Of The Fittest" has more descriptions of evolution and its terms and ideas which I highly recommend.

One thing that bothers me a bit is that whenever they read Darwin the narrator switches to this feeble old high-pitched voiced, like a doddering old man with a fake British accent. It's a small price to have to pay, but I don't really understand why they feel the need to do that, at some times it is almost comedic and can detract from the ideas being presented.

Evolutionary Biology, Part 1: Darwinian Revolutions is both entertaining and educational. I recommend the book, but I am hungry for more, so I really want to see part 2 available as soon as possible. Part 3 anyone?